Elwyr Jarrow
Elwyr was the fifth King of the Jarrs and the first to bear the title of Defier of the Dark. Early life Elwyr was the second son and youngest child of Athelmere, King of the Jarrs, by Queen Tempest. He was born with a glowing golden circle in the middle of his forehead, initially taken as an ill omen by his father given the glowing golden eyes of Tupelo Cornus, who had recently been responsible for the massacre of Tempest's family. Elwyr lived much of his early life in seclusion in Jarburg, where he devoted his time to reading and study. His closest companion was his sister Eirwynn, who shared his passion for learning. In 415 he was identified by Brother Paco of the Blazing Temple as a likely reincarnation of Yosi Cedro, the Blazing Avatar. This revelation caused a dramatic shift in religious attitudes among the royal family, who had previously been ambivalent about their adherence to the Lord of Fire, and may have been a key factor in Athelmere's siding against the Priory in the later Salterri civil war. Following the revelation of Nissa Rodilsignya as the Blazing Avatar, Elwyr remained in Calorum for several years and became a companion to her. In 434 he was the only one of Athelmere's children to be able to reach his deathbed, and soon afterwards left Calorum to travel more widely and eventually return to Jarrland, where he became a patron of schools and libraries and even undertook some diplomatic missions, though he did not enjoy it. An awkward youth, he later gained a reputation as the most intelligent and observant man in Jarrland, something he put down to his early years spent watching others from seclusion without speaking, though he was never entirely to lose his distaste for public conversation. He preferred to write, and is believed to have made contributions to his sister's poetry. Following the death of his elder brother Atheldynn in 457 he reluctantly took up his position as atheling. Reign He had no aptitude for combat and little interest in it as a martial art (though he devoted some time to study of strategy, and could be relied upon to watch his siblings compete in public exhibitions). As such he did not fight in Tuhiland in 463 but was present to attend his adopted brother King Alfmark on his deathbed, as he had his father so long before. Alfmark made efforts to spare Elwyr much of the early burden of kingship, which he knew he did not want, by rushing through legislation prior to his death, though he still left much work to be done. Elwyr later negotiated the resettlment of the Kell exiles in Cas-Teire, over the objections of the Argulus. Never happy as king, he devoted much of his attention to construction of temples and propagation of the word of the Lord of Fire, including assisting with suppression of the militant uprising in Calorum. Following news of Nissa's murder he became increasingly distracted and began spending all his time in Salteire supervising the construction of the new cathedral there. Death In 480 he attended the Fourth Grand Ball in Raaneka, where Hushyarr revealed himself as the reincarnation of Mosi and the new Blazing Avatar. Unable to contain the fire resultant from the blessing he had borne since birth, Elwyr combusted on the dance floor, though only he perished in the flames. Issue Elwyr never married, with his closest female relationships for most of his life being with his sister Eirwynn and Nissa. In middle age he was believed to be in a relationship with Neralla, one of the ireiarchoneia of Tempestia, though nothing was ever made public. Following Neralla's death in 463 at the Caercian Coronation he flatly refused any suggestion that he marry, claiming that the kingdom was well-provisioned with heirs and did not need more. References Category:Rulers Category:Characters Category:Humans Category:Characters of Telluris Category:Rulers of Telluris